Turbulence-quelling and fluid-flow controllers utilizing spray nozzles are already well known in the art. That type of nozzle is commonly employed for descaling, such as in the removal of scale from steel which has been heated. In that instance, scale is removed more completely when the spray pattern is optimized by having an optimum laminar flow of fluid going into the nozzle. The prior art achieves a degree of laminar flow by providing means in the flow path in order to quell the turbulence of flow going into the nozzle. Examples of prior art with quelling means are seen in Japanese patent 43-23197 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,681,830 and 3,486,700 and 3,510,065 and 3,921,912 and 4,393,991 and 4,899,937.
Additionally, to further quell the turbulent flow of the fluid, cones have been placed in the fluid passageway. Prior art examples are seen in Japanese patent 39-17657 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 597,842 and 4,848,672. However, in these instances, even though both vanes and cones are utilized integrally, they are not related to where the cone itself is within the confines or extent of the vanes.
The present invention provides for the utilization of vanes and an inclined intervening configuration wherein the fluid flow is directed against the vanes and the incline which together and simultaneously serve to quell the turbulence in the flow so that the fluid can flow to the nozzle in the desired straight or laminar pattern for optimum spray pattern. That is, in the present invention, the fluid is directed to the vanes and against an inclined surface formed and presented between the vanes, and, as such, the turbulence in the fluid is substantially reduced.
Other examples of prior art nozzles are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,341,859 and 3,273,805 and 4,364,523, but these examples appear to be less pertinent than those mentioned above.
Still further, the present invention provides means for quelling turbulence and also utilizes the turbulent queller member as a flow shutoff or quantity controller in the nature of a poppet. That is, the fluid is directed to the queller member which responds to the force of the fluid to open the flow passageway, and means are applied to the queller member for displacing it to close the fluid passageway in the form of a shutoff valve. This is therefore an automatically piloted shutoff valve as well as a turbulence queller. Therefore, if the fluid pressure is not sufficiently great, then the valve will not open, and conversely, when the pressure has dropped, then the valve will automatically close.
In these accomplishments, the controller body itself is maintained full at all times, and there is elimination of fluid shock, and there is therefore provision for isolating the nozzle, to substitute nozzles according to desired effects, saving of energy and water, if that be the fluid, and there is a stabilization of the fluid flow.